Should we return to the kitchen and say goodbye to takeaways?Tell me something; how many meals are you eating away from home or ordering in every week? I'll be honest, even when I do "cook" at home, it's often something ready-made that needs a few minutes in the microwave. #oops

Over the last few years, more and more people have been ordering takeaways. However, research published by the John Hopkins School of Public Health has claimed that people who frequently cook meals at home eat healthier and consume fewer calories... this does not surprise me, I know this but I ignore it. Another #oops

So with the help of kitchen splashbacks supplier, The Plastic People let's take a look at just how popular eating out and ordering takeaways has become, as well as why we should maybe consider putting the menus away and instead get back to cooking in our kitchens....

Our love for takeawaysDigital takeaway specialists Just Eat shed some light on how popular takeaways are for UK families when considering research to celebrate the launch of the 2015 British Takeaway Awards.

According to their study, close to half of people aged under 35 will serve their families a takeaway meal for a get-together. Reasons for doing so included both parents having to work longer hours and trying to fit their children’s extra-curricular activities into the day. And let's be honest, less washing up right?

The same research also found that over a quarter of survey respondents admit to passing off takeaway meals as their own food when inviting guests round (raising my hands as guilty for this one...). More than a half of those who admitted to doing this said that they simply didn’t have enough time to cook.

Just Eat’s Graham Corfield pointed out: “Modern lives are incredibly busy, and often both parents work long hours. So increasingly, people are looking for ways to be more effective with their time so that they can spend as much of the day as possible with their families and doing the things they love.”

Just EatJust Eat has definitely emerged as one of the main companies associated with "the takeaway scene" (I use them!) — with this particularly evident when looking at the firm’s 2016 numbers.

Founded in 2001, Just Eat completed last year with 17.6 million active customers — up 31 per cent from the 13.4 million active customers in 2015 — who were connected to more than 68,500 restaurant partners. This huge group of customers also placed 136.4 million orders through Just Eat in 2016, which works out a 4.3 orders per second and is a considerable rise from the 96.2 million orders placed through the service in 2015. (That's a lot of food!)

The UK is Just Eat’s largest market, with the market for delivered takeaway food for this country expanding from £5.5 billion in 2015 to £6.1 billion last year and Just Eat finishing 2016 with 9.2 million active UK customers.

The case for home cookingA study carried out by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has suggested that people should maybe reconsider their eating habits going forward...

This is because after analysing data from the 2007/10 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey which involved over 9,000 participants aged 20+, the researchers concluded that those who frequently cook meals at home eat more healthily and consume fewer calories than those who cook less. This conclusion was reached as…

48 per cent of participants cooked dinner between six and seven times a week and consumed 2,164 calories, 81 grams of fat and 119 grams of sugar on an average day.

Eight per cent of participants cooked dinner once or less a week and consumed 2,301 calories, 84 grams of fat and 135 grams of sugar on an average day.

Julia A. Wolfson, MPP, a CLF-Lerner Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future and the study’s lead author, pointed out: “When people cook most of their meals at home, they consume fewer carbohydrates, less sugar and less fat than those who cook less or not at all – even if they are not trying to lose weight.”

There was also a suggestion from the research that those who cooked at home six to seven nights a week also consumed fewer calories whenever they did decide to spend a night away from the kitchen and eating out instead. (This I found very interesting and I'd love to know why..)

Wolfson added: “The evidence shows people who cook at home eat a healthier diet. Moving forward, it’s important to educate the public about the benefits of cooking at home, identify strategies that encourage and enable more cooking at home, and help everyone, regardless of how much they cook, make healthier choices when eating out.”

Well, this research definitely gave me some food for thought (sorry couldn't resist the pun). I know I could definitely eat healthier than I do and while I don't eat takeaways that regularly I could cut down on the ready-meals. I actually love cooking but I've convinced myself that I don't have the time... I'm going to re-evaluate that!

I'd love to know your thoughts on the study. Do you recognise any of the scenarios? Could you do with cooking more? Drop me a comment below!

As a new subscriber to Birchbox, August was the first month where I had no idea of what was arriving. The month before I subscribed about 2 days before the end so had some idea of the products included, but August was going to be a complete surprise, except for the brush which I was allowed to choose my preferred colour for.

Thankfully I struck really lucky with the product selection in my box and everything is something I could use so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts with all of you... besides, how pretty is that "mermaid" box???

1. Number 4 - Sugar Texturising SprayI use a texturising spray fairly frequently because while my hair has natural waves and curls, I find a spray just makes them "pop" a little bit better.

This spray smells amazing and worked really well for me, it added some extra volume, it emphasised the waves I already had and created a few new ones and all without any sticky residue.

I keep reaching for this over my normal product and once it's all used up, I'll definitely consider purchasing a full size.

2. Merci Handy - Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel (Full Size)I always have a hand gel with me, whether it's in my handbag or on my desk.. it's just something you pick up when you're in close and frequent contact with someone who is immunosupressed.

I really liked the smell of this hand gel, which is the Hello Sunshine variety. The gel itself isn't sticky and absorbs really quickly without any residue left behind. The bottle is the perfect size to pop into your bag or pocket, or for me this one sits on my desk so it's always right where I need it. I'm not entirely sure what the blue floating bits are, but it works well and at £2.90 they're a bargain!

3. Huygens - Supernature CreamDescribed in the leaflet as a "secret weapon" for hydration this was one of the first products I reached for in August's Birchbox.

It smells amazing, applies and absorbs well and really does provide not only instant, but also longlasting hydration for your skin.

This really calmed down a bit of irritation that was annoying me and I've really enjoyed using it.

I'll keep using until the tube is empty and then definitely consider purchasing the fullsize 75ml, although £25 might be a bit pricey.

4. Spectrum Collection - A05 Brush in Glam Clam (Full Size)This was the "special" item in August's Mermaid box, there was a choice between the turquoise Glam Clam or the pink Bomb Shell. It's a really lovely brush that picks up product well and distributes evenly. I've used it for powder, blush and highlighter and all went really well. It feels lovely against the skin and the tapered bristles allow for precision. I don't think there's any chance of me buying the set for £59.99 (10 brushes) but this one is nice.

5. LOC - One and Done Shadow Stick in Out Of Your Shell (Full Size)Now this is my favourite item in the box, the LOC brand is one of Birchbox's in-house creations but I adore a shadow stick and I got the perfect colour for me. It claims to give 11 hours of no creases and waterproofness, which I haven't put to the test but the few hours I did wear it for went smoothly.The colour is gorgeous, I prefer lighter shimmery shades for all over my lid and this glides on like a dream, blends well and then stays put. At just £8 I'd happily purchase this at full price and it's the stand out of the August box for me. Swatch of Out Of Your Shell below...(told you it was light & I am pale!)

So there you have it, my thoughts on the five products included in my Birchbox August 2017 box. All of them worked well, I'll use all of them until they're empty and a couple I'll probably buy again in the future. This box gets a big thumbs up from me and I'm already looking forward to September.

If you want to know more about Birchbox, head over to their website here.

Stay safe, x

*This is not a sponsored post, I subscribe to Birchbox and pay for it myself.*

While the weather hasn't been great here lately, I think summer forget it's meant to stick around a bit longer, I have enjoyed the slightly cooler conditions. Autumn is my favourite time of year and it seems to have come a little bit early which is fine by me! Not least because it's meant a chance for me to curl up and read. A personal favourite that I've read in the last couple of weeks is "True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop" by Annie Darling.

I'll put my hands up straight away and say I love a bit of romance, ok I'm a complete sucker for it and proud. This is a gorgeous story about Verity who makes up a pretend boyfriend to get her friends off her back about being single (completely understandable if you ask me..) which then turns into a complicated web before a chance encounter gives her a real fake boyfriend who needs a real fake girlfriend in return. Simple right?

The characters are so well written, Verity is incredibly similar to me and so much of her personality really hit home for me.. she's a fan of quiet and get's easily overwhelmed at too many people or too much noise, she's also madly in love with Pride and Prejudice. She's my twin in book form and she lives above a bookshop in Bloomsbury.. jealous! And Johnny? Where do I find one?! Yes he can be a bit of an arse, but can't we all? They are perfection and the surrounding characters of family and friends have real depth as well.

This book made me laugh, smile and cry, it has everything you could want from a romantic novel and I loved it so much that when the day after I finished reading it, I went back and read it all over again (I can't say that about many books, maybe 3 or 4).

If you haven't already guessed I absolutely adored True Love at the Lonely Hearts Bookshop, it's become a firm favourite after two read throughs and I will definitely be reading it again. Annie Darling did a brilliant job with the character development, the storyline and just the general feel of her writing, it's like a hug from an old friend.

So if you're looking for a bit of romance for your next book (maybe to read on the beach?) I fully recommend you pick up a copy of this, the kindle version is £3.99 or a paperback copy is £7.99 and you pick it up from Amazon here (not an affiliate link).

Let me know if you do give it a read because I'd love to know your thoughts and if you have any book recommendations for me please drop me a comment below!

- This is a collaborative post [not sponsored], with the items included provided free of charge. I was not paid to write this review and the opinions & photos included are my own. -

Hi guys, it's Monday, it's raining outside and I don't know about you but I need some motivation today! I'll be honest and say that it's day like these where I find myself aimlessly browsing the internet, looking at things I don't need/can't afford and probably buying a few items too. But sometimes I kind of feel as though I've seen it all before so when it's always exciting to be introduced to a new site full of interesting products.

When the lovely people over at ToSave.com got in touch to ask if I'd like to try out their site for myself I jumped at the opportunity, especially after taking a quick peek online and seeing how much they have on offer!

The site stock clothing, jewellery, makeup, home accessories, electronics, vehicle items and so much more...there really is something for everyone and I ended up a bit like Alice in Wonderland, just looking at everything! Prices range but a lot of things seem to be really great value and I received all of my items within 2 weeks from their China warehouse (they do have local warehouses as well so it could be even quicker).

Now, let me show you what I picked up from ToSave.com... all 5 items together cost less than £16, bargain!

The first item I chose was this lovely necklace, which I was drawn to at first because it's supposed to glow in the dark. Now mine doesn't (I don't know why) but it's still a nice necklace to look at with the bonus of it being a little locket as well. I would like a slightly longer chain as the fastening it has makes it too short to put over your neck and it's quite fiddly, so either a different clasp or chain would make it better. But it's still nice to wear and I got plenty of compliments on it. It's just 98p and comes in lots of different designs and colours. I'd probably give this 3 stars out of 5 ★★★.

From jewellery I moved to the beauty section, which probably isn't that surprising is it? Now I am useless when it comes to my eyelashes... lash curlers? I can't use them. False lashes? A complete disaster. So this strange comb device called out to me as a possible solution. It's actually called an eyelash curler guard comb and the idea is you hold it against the lashes like a comb and then apply your mascara.. you avoid clumps, boost curl and avoid making a mess all at the same time. I found it worked ok for the lower lashes, where I could hold it right against the lashline and it kept mascara off my skin, but it didn't quite fit right for my upper lashes (maybe I just have an awkward face?) and I couldn't hold it close enough to my lashes for it to make any difference. Despite that, it only costs 40p and I do think it would probably work for other people so it's 4 stars from me ★★★★.

I couldn't resist taking a look at the clothes on offer and because it was pretty warm a couple of weeks ago (it's not now and it's wet so I had to take photos inside.. ugh) I was drawn to the dresses first. I stumbled across this lovely blue dress and knew I had to add it to my order. There are ties on the sleeves for a lovely bow detail and a pearl effect button on the front. Unfortunately, I fell for the typical internet shopping trick of thinking it would look the same on me as it did in the photo and let's just say it obviously doesn't. I love the fabric and the pattern is lovely for summer, but the fit just isn't right for me. The elasticated waist pulls it in a bit too tight around the chest for someone with fairly big boobs like me and I just wasn't a fan of the silhouette it gave me... as a size 10 it made me look bigger and that's never ideal. The dress costs £4.45 and is really well made and while it doesn't suit me, if you're slightly smaller in the chest I think it could look lovely so I'll still give it 3 stars ★★★.

Sticking with clothes I moved onto the fitness section and fell immediately in love with these leggings. I've seen other people wearing similar versions and adore the contrast effect between the normal legging material and the mesh inserts so I knew I had to have them. The fit is perfect, they are so comfortable and I love the way they look. They bring a bit of extra interest to my morning yoga workout and actually keep your legs cooler too. The mesh doesn't itch or scratch and it just looks amazing. I am madly in love with these leggings and for just £4.05 I think they're the bargain of the year and get a full 5 stars ★★★★★

My final choice was this gorgeous forest cushion cover as I had a cushion that was looking past it's best and this seemed like the best way to smarten it up. The material is lovely and soft (especially after a quick wash to remove that "new" smell) and the print looks great. There are lots of different designs to choose from and to be honest I want all of them, but I don't have that many cushions in my house! It fits on easily and has a good quality zip fastening to keep it all inside where it should be. For just £1.53 I am definitely going to look at buying a couple of the other designs, although choosing which is going to be difficult. The cushion I put this on is now in pride of place on my sofa and has already received lots of great remarks so it's 5 star from me ★★★★★ !

Overall, I've been really impressed with ToSave.com and even just writing up this review I've seen more things that I'm definitely going to be buying. There are so many great value items and the service was fantastic so I have no issue in recommending them. I get the feeling I'm going to be a repeat visitor to this particular website for the foreseeable future!

I'd love to know if you've used ToSave.com before or if you do as a result of this post, so please drop me a comment below.. plus give me your thoughts on the things I chose!

Stay safe! x

- If you use hair extensions they also have a sister site called SheInHair which might be of interest to some of you, I don't wear extensions personally so if you do give them a go let me know how you got on!

- Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post [not sponsored], with the items included provided free of charge. I was not paid to write this review and the opinions & photos included are my own. There are no affiliate or commission links in this post.

Straight to business.. I love a face mask; clay, sheet, peel-off, gel, soothing, exfoliating, etc.. I love them all. For me they are just a perfect dose of me-time and I'm always looking for new ones to try out. I found this Montange Jeuness Manuka Honey peel-off face mask the other day when I was doing an online shop on Boots (I had points to spend) and I couldn't wait to try it out because there is just something so satisfying about that peeling feeling... or is that just me?

I chose the honey mask because it claims to target "problem skin" and that summed up how I felt at the time, my skin was a bit hormonal (thankfully it's calmed down now) and a few spots were appearing.. yuck. Honey is naturally antibacterial so it seemed the perfect choice for me, plus the peel-off aspect meant some of the areas of dry skin (particularly my nose!) would get some TLC too.

The first thing to say about this face mask is the smell, it smells exactly like a jar of honey which for me wasn't unpleasant but isn't my favourite scent either. The website says it contains Jasmine so I expected a bit more of a floral scent but it was ok.

It also looks very much like honey; it's golden and gooey. But it was easy to apply (although getting an even layer can be tricky) and it instantly feels soothing on your skin, which was exactly what I needed. 20 minutes later, I spent this time folding laundry #GlamLife, and it was time to get peeling! My face was now stiff, I could see wrinkling in the mirror (below photo) and it looked ready.

I'm sure we've all been there with peel-off face masks; you hope and pray that it's going to come off cleanly but it never does right? Well this peeled off like a dream, I don't know if I just got lucky or not, but I started at the bottom, gentley peeled up the edges and then the whole mask came off in one go. No residue or random pieces left behind. I was amazed.

I did give my face a quick wash with water just to make sure I hadn't missed anything but my skin felt instantly 50 times better. It looked a lot less tired, it was brighter and fresher, the spots I'd had appearing had shrunk down a lot and looked less red, and my skin glowed. For the first time using this mask I was seriously thrilled.

It's now a couple of days since I used the mask and my skin still looks a lot better than before I put it on, my skin is clearer with a few of those troublesome blackheads gone at last, I haven't had anymore spots appear yet (although that could be down to hormones too) and my skin just looks healthier.

Considering the Montagne Jeunesse Manuka Honey peel-off face mask costs only £1 (I bought mine from Boots here) and takes just 20 minutes to use it worked wonders for me and I will definitely be stocking up on these to use more regularly.

I have a couple of other masks I picked up from Boots to try out but I think this will become a firm favourite, it gets a full 5 stars from me!